That's roughly 10% of the US population,

這大約佔了百分之十的美國人口，

and chronic teeth grinding can lead to painful issues

而長期的磨牙會導致疼痛的症狀，

from tooth fractures to changes in facial appearance.

牙齒會斷裂臉也會變形。

But the worst part is

但最糟糕的是，

you could be a teeth grinder and not even know it.

你可能就是個磨牙者但你卻不知道。

Every time a grinder gnashes their back molars together,

每當會磨牙的人磨損他後面的臼齒，

they exert as much as 200 pounds of pressure per square inch.

牙齒每一平方英吋上就像施加了兩百磅的壓力，

That's 10 times the force you exert on your teeth when you chew normally.

是你牙齒正常咀嚼時所用之力的十倍。

This pressure can crack and fracture teeth

這重力會使牙齒裂開或斷裂，

and eventually even wear them down to stumps,

而最後磨損成牙齒殘根，

which can then require root canals, implants, or dentures.

可能就要做牙齒根管治療、植牙，或裝假牙。

But it's not just your teeth that take a beating.

並不是只有你的牙齒會受傷，

If you suffer from chronic grinding,

如果你長期磨損牙齒，

also called bruxism in the medical community, you could be

在醫學界又稱做磨牙，你可能

grinding your teeth for up to 40 minutes for every hour you're asleep.

在睡覺時每小時就有四十分鐘在磨牙。

That's enough to cause headaches and a sore jaw in the morning,

早上起床時可能會導致頭痛及下巴痛，

and if you keep it up night after night,

如果到晚上仍會疼痛，

it could permanently damage your jaw.

這可能將永久傷害你的下顎。

Researchers estimate that 20% of teeth grinders

研究指出百分之二十的磨牙者

have symptoms of a painful jaw condition

會有下巴疼痛的症狀，

called TMD.

稱作顳顎關節症候群。

TMD affects the movement of your

顳顎關節症候群會影響你

temporomandibular joints.

顳下頜骨關節的移動。

These joints connect your jaw to your skull,

這些關節連結你的下巴和骨頭，

helping you eat, chew, and talk.

讓你能吃喝、咀嚼和講話。

But when you grind your teeth incessantly,

但是當你不斷的磨損你的牙齒，

you can overwork these joints.

你會使這些關節過度疲勞。

One study found that when these muscles work overtime,

有項研究發現，當過度使用這些肌肉，

they become tender and enlarged,

會使它們痠痛且變得腫大，

making your face look more square and masculine.

這會使你的臉看起來更方正或更男性化。

What's more, the sound of grinding teeth could

更驚人的是，磨牙的聲音可能

be enough to damage your hearing.

足以摧毀你的聽力。

Researchers who examined 400 university students

研究家測試了四百位大學生，

found a strong correlation between grinding and tinnitus.

發現耳鳴和磨牙大有關係。

Tinnitus is a hearing condition that causes

耳鳴是一個聽力的症狀，

ringing in your ears and can lead to hearing loss.

在耳朵裡會嗡嗡作響，且會導致聽力耗損。

But perhaps the scariest part of all of this,

但可能最可怕的部分是，

unless your roommate or a partner hears you

你的室友或同伴聽到你

grinding your teeth at night, you might not

晚上在磨牙，而你卻

even realize you're doing it

不知道自己會如此，

until your dentist notices the damage.

直到你的牙醫發現問題。

And chances are, you've probably done it yourself.

很有可能地，你自己早就會磨牙了。

An estimated 85 to 90% of the population will grind

估計有百分之八十五到九十的人

or clench their teeth to some degree.

會磨牙或咬緊牙齒到某種程度。

And while there's no simple cure for bruxism,

雖然沒有能簡單治癒磨牙的方法，

there's still hope.

但仍然有補救的希望。

A mouth guard, for instance,

舉例來說，可以使用護齒器，

won't stop you from grinding altogether,

他不會讓你停止磨牙，

but it will stop your molars

但它能保護你的牙齒

from wearing your teeth down to stumps.

不會再斷裂。

And since grinding is often caused by stress and anxiety,

而因為磨牙的原因通常來自於壓力和焦慮，

some doctors recommend counseling and meditation.

醫師建議可以找人諮商，或自己冥想。

So maybe a solution to your teeth-grinding problem

或許能解決你磨牙最好的方法，

is a nice long vacation.

就是好好放一個長假。

Doesn't sound too bad, right?

聽起來還不錯，是吧？